The invention relates to a surface analyzing apparatus for analyzing the surface of a sample by detecting secondary electrons, secondary ions, and the like emitted from the surface of the sample upon excitation of the surface of the sample by means of a probe of an atomic force microscope (AFM) after observing the sample with a high resolving power of nanometer order by means of the AFM, and to a surface processing apparatus for minutely etching the surface of a sample or for depositing a thin film on it.
Existing surface analyzing apparatus include the following:
1: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopes, PA0 2: Auger electron spectroscopes, and PA0 3: Secondary ion mass spectroscopes, and the like.
None of apparatus 1 to 3 can have a high resolving power (down to the order of 10 nm), and if their probe were miniaturized to obtain a high resolving power, the result is a deterioration of their analysis sensitivity. And none of apparatus 1 to 3 can give information of roughness in the direction perpendicular to the surface of a sample.
As an existing processing apparatus, an apparatus performing a sputtering process by means of a Ga ion beam, an apparatus which decomposes and deposits organometallic gas by means of an ion beam, and the like are known. The size of the area they can process is limited by their probe diameter to about 100 nm.
The atomic force microscope (AFM) was described by G. Binnig, CF. Quate, Ch. Gerber, and others in 1986 (Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 930 (1986)).
As compared with other observation apparatus, the AFM has as one advantage that it can observe a three-dimensional shape of even a sample of insulating material with high resolution as an observation apparatus of a surface shape.
In existing systems, it has been difficult to perform a three-dimensional observation, a component analysis of the surface of a sample, and an etching process of the surface and/or a deposition process on the surface, and the like with high resolution (of 10 nm or less) by means of a single apparatus.